Page 1 of 1
fitting towbar
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:39 pm
by a8pte
please can anyone help.im looking for a towbar for my morris but cannot get hold of a secondhand one.so does anyone know if i drill back bumper and fit a towball if it would be safe.im only towing a very small camping trailer on to rallies etc thanks
Re: fitting towbar
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:36 pm
by simmitc
Absolutely not, the bumper and its mountings are not designed for towing. Towbars are readily available from numerous places such as Towequip, Minor Traders, and Watling Engineers who make them. There is an angle iron bracket that fits to the bumper mountings and the bumper itself, but also has a tie bracket that secures to the boot floor. The whole of the rear area of the car needs to be in good condition.
Re: fitting towbar
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:41 pm
by mike.perry
No. You need a properly designed towbar which bolts on to the bumper irons with additional support in front of or behind the fuel tank. Besides if you bolt a towball to the bumper it would probably obstruct you getting the spare wheel in and out.
You also need a correctly wired loom for the trailer lights.
Re: fitting towbar
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:01 pm
by bmcecosse
If only a v small trailer - consider carrying the stuff on a roof rack instead! A trailer is a bl**dy nuisance.....bouncing about like a yo-yo behind the car....

And as others have pointed out - the rear bumper is NOT designed for this. There must be angle iron runners going forward to good solid steel either side of the fuel tank - the best ones also bolt into the 'chassis' members. You can fairly easily make a tow bar from 2 x 2 angle iron.....but do make sure your welding is up to scratch!